Israely Groove

With little preamble, now is the opportune moment to unveil one of the most captivating mixtapes I’ve longed to share. It’s evident that the working musicians of late 1960s Israel were remarkably attuned to sounds from overseas, particularly music from England and the USA. This time, my focus is on a specific music genre: Funk. It’s remarkable to consider that over 40 years ago, in an era devoid of televisions (which weren’t prevalent in Israel until 1968), let alone the internet or even telephones. As far as I’m aware, there were only 2 or 3 Israeli radio stations where non-Israeli Pop music occupied roughly 10% of broadcast time. Yet, despite the scarcity, musicians hungry for fresh sounds managed to procure updated records from abroad, subsequently incorporating new musical instruments and sound effects into their creations.

Take note of the exceptional musicianship, arrangements, and orchestrations. While the antiquated singing style may occasionally grate or, in more favorable instances, evoke amusement, the groove endures. Don’t anticipate hearing authentic James Brown-style Funk, but the influences are unmistakable.

Here, you’ll discover some hidden gems I unearthed later, some of which are quite rare. I hope you’ll overlook the occasional audio imperfections; at least half of the tracks were digitized from my collection of aging vinyl records and reel-to-reel tapes, some of which didn’t weather the passage of time under optimal conditions. Additionally, two songs were recorded from AM radio programms. Nevertheless, I’ve endeavored to clean and restore them to seamlessly coalesce into one delectable musical compilation.